Local hopes in Rooney

Gimmebackmybullets was the 3-year-old pacer of the year at Monticello Raceway this season and though he has been on the board 11 times in 13 starts with seven victories, the New York bred-son of Bettor’s Delight will face his most formidable task when he takes on four others in the $490,904 Art Rooney which will be presented at Monticello Raceway on Friday afternoon, Nov. 10.

Scott Kimelman, a member of the Legacy Racing Stable, the proud owners of Gimmebackmybullets, is rather confident with the colt’s chances in Rooney Pace.

“Look, we’re good on a half-mile track; we’ve got the rail (position) and good weather and we’re returning to our home track, “ Kimelman said, and then added “ all is good, now we just need a little luck.

“We kept him eligible to the Rooney even though we weren’t sure where it would be raced but when Eddie Hart (the colt's trainer) said it was going to be raced at Monticello and that we should put him in (enter him) we did. And we got lucky right from the start when only four others entered and we’re that going for (a purse) nearly a half a million dollars.”

Arguably Gimmebbackmybullets biggest rival in the Rooney looms in White Hot Cards, who’s owned by C. and I. Seigel and Lee Wasserman. Also a winner of seven races this year the Cam’s Card Shark colt comes into the event off two 1:54.4 victories at Freehold Raceway. Daniel Dube will handle the driving chores and they’ll start from post position two.

Ray Schnittker and Ron Goldman’s Jake Of Diamonds, a $117,000 winner this year who’ll start from post position four, can’t be discounted. But the ever philosophical Schnittker chuckled, “With only five horses going for (nearly) $500,000 we can’t miss getting a check. All races should be like this.”

The field for the $490,904 Art Rooney lines up as follows: Gimmebackmybullets (#1- Stephane Bouchard); White Hot Cards (#2-Daniel Dube); Caerleon Hanover (#3-Brian Cross); Jake Of Diamonds (#4-RaySchnittker); Bartolomeo N (#5-George Brennan).

The Rooney will be the eighth race on the 12-race card.

Also on the Friday afternoon card is the Rooney companion race, the Rose Of Tralee Pace, which features sophomore filly pacers. Like the Rooney only five have entered including one of the best distaff pacers racing today, Darlin’s Delight, a daughter of Bettor’s Delight and a lifetime winner of over $1.25 million.

Trained by Jeffrey Stafford for the White Birch Farm, Darlin’s Delight is a winner of eight of 13 races this year and nine of 14 as a freshman. Regular teamster Yannick Gingras will be in the sulky.

Darlin’s Delight will undoubtedly be sent off as the odds-on favorite despite the presence of Art’s Temptress, the classy Artsplace filly who is a winner of over $284,000 this season. She’ll start from post position one with Brennan at the controls.

Yonkers Raceway president, Tim Rooney will start his Lislea Bella, a winner of nine of 19 this year. Trained by Hall of Famer Harry Harvey, Lislea Bella has a half-mile track record of 1:54.1 taken at Freehold Raceway earlier this season. Though she’s getting a new driver in Dube they’ll still have their work cut out for them.

The field for the $209,210 Rose of Tralee Pace lines up like this: Art’s Temtress (#1-George Brennan); Darlin’s Delight (#2- Yannick Gingris); Lislea Bella (#3-Daniel Dube); Sweet Paprika (#4-Mark Beckwith) Xhilaration (#5-Stephane Bouchard).

“We’re very appreciative to Rooney family, Bob Galterio and Steve Starr for the opportunity to host such prestigious races as the Rooney final and the Rose Of Tralee,” said Cliff Ehrlich, Monticello Raceway senior vice president. “On Friday, with these races on the program, we’ll be offering almost three-quarters of a million dollars in purses, by far the most ever on a single race card here at Monticello Raceway.” (Monticello)

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